Unleashing the Dragon
by Oirarana
Summary: Hitsugaya Toshiro has always felt something strange within his own body, something icy cold that urges him into action. It is what led him to the Shinigami academy, and it is the reason he is still alive...... AU Part of the Heavenly Guardian Collection


This is a one shot AU, set as a companion piece to 'Upon the Wings of the Guardian', which is in planning.

I would appreciate constructive criticism, as well as for anyone to point out any errors I've made; while this is an AU and some changes have occurred, I may have made some mistakes due to the fact I have not watched the entire series.

A quick note on the use of reiryoku and reiatsu; I am using these in the same way you would use the terms magma and lava. Reiryoku is spiritual energy when it is in the body; while reiatsu is spiritual energy is emitted from the body.

This is set before the series, so no traitors yet, but there are some hints in there.

Now beta'ed.

Many thanks to 2stupid for beta'ing this fic, its nice to know there's someone who has the ability to whack me up the back of my head and say 'what are you doing' if I make a mistake.

**NOTE: **For those who have read 'When the fukutaicho is away', I have changed my penname from LordViktor to Oirarana.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I just play with the characters.

* * *

As an academy student, Hitsugaya Toshiro had not expected to encounter any particularly powerful Hollows any time in the near future, and so it was with great shock that he watched three Hollows simultaneously tear his instructor apart.

Quickly glancing around, he noted numbly that his classmates seemed to be in similar states of shock. It was a simple assignment. How could it have gone wrong…

* * *

_8888888888flashback888888888888_

* * *

"Alright class, today is an important day for you; you will be receiving your zanpakuto," the instructor stated, stopping herself as the students began murmuring excitedly to each other. "THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH!"

Kasigi Midori had been an instructor at the Shinigami Academy for more than one hundred years, and she had seen all sorts of students come and go, but this year was different. Sitting in a middle row was the pride of Yamamoto sotaicho, Hitsugaya Toshiro.

The boy was a genius; he had compressed the first five years of academy into two months, and caught up to the sixth year course within a month of entering the senior class.

As the primary kenjutsu (sword technique) instructor for the seniors, she had dealt with many kinds of Shinigami, but this young man had the makings of a peerless swordsman. She hoped she had the chance to see how powerful he would become.

Running a hand through her short jet-black hair, Kasigi-sensei turned her attention back to her students, wondering how some of these people had ever made it this far into the academy's curriculum.

When her class had finally settled down she resumed speaking. "Now, we will hand out blank zanpakuto to everybody. These will generally change as you bond with them, and if you ever learn your zanpakuto's name then it will reach its true form."

Kasigi-sensei stopped as two Shinigami walked in with boxes over their shoulders and placed them on her desk.

Thanking them quietly, she turned back to her pupils. "While this method is the most common way for a Shinigami to obtain their zanpakuto, there is another way. Who can tell me the other way one may attain a zanpakuto?"

Glancing around the room, Kasigi-sensei pointed to one of her students, "you," She stated.

"If a Shinigami is powerful enough he or she can materialize his or her zanpakuto with reiatsu rather than shaping the blank core that is given as standard."

"That's correct," Kasigi-sensei responded, stern violet eyes scanning the room, "now; you are receiving your zanpakuto in preparation for your practical exams, which will begin in one month's time, beginning with konso, followed by minor Hollow eradication, then shunpo, hakudo, kido and finally, kenjutsu."

Ignoring the series of groans that came from her students at the thought of exams, Kasigi-sensei continued.

"I want everyone to line up outside the door; you will come in one at a time and will be given a blank zanpakuto for you to channel your reiatsu into. If I think that you have a chance, I will allow you to attempt the second method of obtaining a zanpakuto."

Everyone just stared at the sensei, and Hitsugaya couldn't believe how slow his classmates were acting.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose in irritation, he stood up and walked out of the classroom, soon followed by the rest of his peers.

For as long as he could remember, he had felt something build up within him, it was cold and made him feel unfulfilled, as if there was something that he was meant to do.

Not noticing the passage of time Hitsugaya heard his name called. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts he walked into the empty classroom, turning to face his sensei and waiting for her instructions.

Kasigi-sensei examined her young student, knowing immediately that he had the power and ability to materialize his zanpakuto, rather than be given a blank one to be molded.

"I believe you have the capability to form your zanpakuto without the aid of the blank core. Therefore, I want you to focus reiatsu into your hands and try to concentrate it into the shape of a sword."

Hitsugaya nodded sharply and closed his eyes, settling into seiza (kneeling position). Concentrating, he brought his reiryoku up from his core, flowing through his arms and into his hands.

Bringing his hands up to chest height, palms nearly touching, he felt his reiatsu, not visible to the naked eye, pushing his hands apart.

Keeping the energy levels steady, he moved his hands into a sword grip, willing the build-up of cold energy in his centre up into them.

Not noticing the icy blue glow emanating from his hands, Hitsugaya willed his reiatsu to move, forming it into a sword in his mind.

With a flash of light, he felt a weight appear in his hands, and for a brief moment he saw an icy wasteland with a snow covered hill in the centre, a cold wind sending snowflakes dancing past him. The hill began to shake, drifts of snow falling off as…….

With a gasp he opened his eyes, feeling very drained; he had put more reiryoku into materializing his zanpakuto than he had thought.

He looked down at the blade in his hands; it was longer than a regular zanpakuto, with a star shaped tsuba (hand-guard) and a light blue wrapped tsuka (hilt).

Standing up, he reached for his waist, intent on finding his zanpakuto's saya (sheath). However, he was shocked when he couldn't find it.

"Kasigi-sensei, it appears that I have not materialized a saya. Has this happened before?" He asked quietly.

Kasigi-sensei tried to stop herself from shivering; the freezing reiatsu that her student had released while summoning his zanpakuto had chilled her to the bone. Rubbing her hands together, she shook her head, "Not to my knowledge Hitsugaya-kun; however zanpakuto are all very different. Besides, you seem to have formed something else."

Furrowing his brow in confusion Hitsugaya looked down, trying to figure out what his instructor meant with that comment when he noticed a plain green sash around his torso.

Without any conscious thought Hitsugaya swung his zanpakuto over his head and rested it against his back, releasing it when he felt tension around his torso as weight was added to his sash.

He looked at Kasigi-sensei, who nodded towards the door, unable to say anything in the face of the odd materialization. He nodded back to her and took a step in the direction of the exit – and promptly fell to his hands and knees.

"Hitsugaya-kun, are you alright?" Kasigi-sensei asked quietly.

"I'm fine sensei," Hitsugaya ground out, frustrated at his weakness. He stood up and walked shakily towards the door, leaving to join the others who had gained their zanpakuto.

She let him go, understanding in a way that few ever had that he had the pride of a powerful warrior and should not be treated as a child.

* * *

"Alright, everyone, gather around the Senkaimon. We are almost ready for your konso practical exams," Kasigi-sensei informed her class, adjusting her zanpakuto at her waist as the Academy students grouped around her.

"We will be entering the human world in an area where a number of souls have recently passed," she looked at each one of them in the eyes before continuing, "that means that you will each get a chance to practice at least once. Are there any questions?"

Hitsugaya sighed as one of his peers, Nozue, asked an inane question about the high concentration of souls attracting Hollows.

'_Because they are really going to send us to a location that calls to Hollows like sake calls to Kyoraku-taicho with only Kasigi-sensei,'_ he thought sarcastically, _'there will probably be full Shinigami there to act as guards.'_

He smirked to himself as Kasigi-sensei explained the exact same thing to Nozue, seemingly exasperated at such an illogical question.

It figured that someone who couldn't look past physical appearances, such as Nozue, would be unable to realize that there were almost always members of the Gotei 13 involved in any outing to the real world.

Hell, they had organized a training session with dummy Hollows in the human world for the juniors with members of the 8th Division. With that in mind, one would think that the small-minded idiot wouldn't ask such a dumb question.

Sighing to himself, Hitsugaya walked towards the Senkaimon with the rest of his peers, ready to get this thing over and done with.

* * *

_8888888888end flashback8888888888_

* * *

Quickly shoving down the sadness he felt for the deaths of his instructor and the unnamed Shinigami that had held the perimeter for as long as they could, Hitsugaya reached for his zanpakuto, feeling the weight of his saya disappear from his torso as his hands firmly gripped the familiar and comfortable weight of his zanpakuto.

Quickly assessing the situation, Hitsugaya noted that three more Hollows had joined the pack before him, and that his class had formed a standard defensive ring. That way, no Hollows would be able to surprise them from behind.

The six Hollows surrounded the class, and Hitsugaya could see the hunger in their glowing eyes. Tightening his grip on his zanpakuto, Hitsugaya waited for them to attack, ready to defend and counter-attack, but no attack came.

Hitsugaya felt something tug his eyes in between the large forms of the Hollows surrounding them. Standing there was a small Hollow, no larger than a man; its mask was reminiscent of a Samurai helmet, with a large red jewel in the center of the forehead. Its glowing yellow eyes glittered menacingly. The most disconcerting thing about it was the distinct lack of reiatsu that emanated from it; with so many powerful Hollows about, this one would have to be strong to still be alive.

'_Yo...ne…elp…a…danger…t…urr…el…'_

Eyes widened as a deep voice whispered brokenly in his mind, but he couldn't concentrate on that, not while the Hollows surrounded his class.

The standoff was broken as a melodious voice escaped the demonic teeth of the samurai Hollow, "I believe we should just kill these Shinigami wannabes before they become too much trouble. You may eat them." With a wave of bone-white claws, the larger Hollows attacked.

'_Fle…all…me, no…m…ru'_

Shaking his head, Hitsugaya blocked out everything except his opponent; the growls of the other Hollows, the screams of his peers as they died, everything was ignored.

'_Call…name, you…now, I…maru'_

Hitsugaya ducked under an arm twice as thick as he was tall, cutting along it as he jumped up and drawing a screech from the bulky hollow. Landing on its arm, he was forced to shunpo to the ground as its square jaw descended upon his position.

He watched with some amusement as it bit a chunk out of its own arm, but that was quickly drained away as he noticed that only six other members of his class had survived the initial onslaught.

Menacing laughter echoed throughout the plain, stemming from the smallest Hollow. Hitsugaya glared as its lithe form strode forward, bony plates covering its black skin as the mask split into a creepy grin.

Those yellow eyes stared directly at him, and it took a huge effort for him to remain upright.

"You are mine, little Shinigami-wannabe" it stated calmly, "your soul smells especially tasty." With a click of its bone-white claws the Hollow prepared to attack. However, it was stopped by a young, feminine voice.

"Burst, Tobiume!"

Six pink blasts shot overhead, obliterating the large Hollows that had surrounded Hitsugaya and his peers. He stared as a female Shinigami landed in between him and the last remaining Hollow. "Hinamori…" he began.

"Get out of here Shiro-chan, this is too much for you," Hinamori stated quietly, then more loudly, "the route to the Senkaimon is clear; you students should leave immediately."

The academy students quickly followed her directions; however, Hitsugaya was too deeply entranced by the deep rumbling voice that he had been hearing since he had glimpsed the samurai Hollow.

'_It is too much for her as well, but I can help you, just call me, I am …maru, ruler of the icy heavens.'_

His zanpakuto was talking to him; that was the only explanation for this voice, particularly due to its insistence that he call it by name.

Hitsugaya's inner reflection was broken as Hinamori fired a blast at the Hollow, hoping to catch it off-guard and finish it quickly. However, it merely batted the attack away effortlessly.

"It will take more than that to end me, little Shinigami," the Hollow taunted, its claws clicking together quietly.

With a move quicker than either of the Shinigami could see, the Hollow was in front of Hinamori, its right hand embedded up to the wrist in her shoulder. It wrenched its hand free, the spikes of its claws tearing easily through Hinamori's flesh.

It raised its hand to finish her off. Hitsugaya tried to move to stop it, but his vision flickered white.

Suddenly, he was standing in the icy wasteland he had glimpsed when he first summoned his zanpakuto, but this time there was no hill. Hitsugaya was about to investigate when that same rumbling voice he had been hearing spoke from behind him.

"You will need to call me if you wish for her to survive."

Spinning around quickly, Hitsugaya almost fell over when he saw the origin of the voice.

Hitsugaya stared at the large blue-white dragon looking down at him, its red eyes looking at him in something akin to affection.

"I…I cannot hear your name" he replied quietly, unable to tear his gaze off of the magnificent being before him.

"Then you must listen harder, fledgling," the dragon stated calmly, "if you wish to reign in the frozen kingdom like I."

"Can you really help me save her?" Hitsugaya asked, hating himself for sounding like a child.

"You will make a magnificent dragon someday fledgling, and together we shall soar, but for now I shall do what is necessary. Call me now, my name is…"

Snapping back to reality, Hitsugaya pointed his zanpakuto at the Hollow, "Reign upon the frozen sky, Hyorinmaru!" he cried.

The dragon made of ice that flowed from the tip of his blade as it soared into the Hollow's helmeted head was quite beautiful, though it paled in comparison to the magnificence of Hyorinmaru's true form.

The Hollow quickly brought its clawed hands up, slicing through the ice dragon with ease. It looked slightly startled, but then, Hollow masks weren't very good at expressing emotions.

"So, the little Shinigami wannabe is actually a little dragon?" the Hollow said in its musical voice, "well, little dragon, perhaps I should introduce myself? I am called Ronin, Vasto Lorde, and now you are mine!"

Hitsugaya stopped in his tracks, shocked. A Vasto Lorde? He was facing a Vasto Lorde?

'_MOVE, FLEDGLING!'_ Hyorinmaru's voice echoed through his head, but by then it was too late to do anything. Instead of being impaled on the Hollow's claws like he expected, Hitsugaya felt his body move past the Vasto Lorde and his wrist flick, wrapping a long chain ending in a crescent blade around his opponent's wrist.

With a deft motion, Ronin dislodged the chain, shattering the ice that had been creeping up his arm.

Hinamori stood stock still in shock as she barely escaped death, her body trembling in the icy cold reiatsu emanating from Hitsugaya. Any move she had been considering was stopped abruptly by the crushing feeling of tainted reiatsu pouring out of the Vasto Lorde.

Glowing yellow eyes locked with glowing red as the two opponents sized each other up. Ronin wasn't sure when the little dragon's eyes had changed, but it was sometime after that Shinigami wannabe had knocked him back with that ice serpent.

Hinamori slumped to the ground unconscious as Hitsugaya began emanating huge levels of reiatsu; even the Vasto Lorde was surprised at the power coming from the small academy student.

Deciding to end the threat quickly, Ronin leapt towards Hitsugaya, arcs of reiatsu rippling off of his bone-white claws, demonic teeth opened in a soundless snarl.

Hitsugaya couldn't move; it wasn't that he was a coward, but his body just wouldn't obey his commands, even as his opponent attacked him with such speed that he could barely see him move, let alone think of dodging.

Fate was with the young Shinigami in training. He didn't have to move his body; it moved itself. Sliding to the side and dodging the attack, Hitsugaya's arm drove the point of his zanpakuto up into Ronin's armpit, and with a quick motion, severed it.

Hitsugaya could only watch on in shock as his body moved of its own accord, easily dodging the Vasto Lorde's strikes. Even with only one arm, the Vasto Lorde was dangerous; moving so swiftly that Hitsugaya could only hope whatever was happening to him could keep up.

It seemed that Ronin no longer toyed with him, because every time Hyorinmaru fell, the Hollow either blocked it or was nowhere near the strike. Not even the spectacular ice dragon caused by the zanpakuto's release fazed Ronin anymore; the powerful claws on his remaining hand tore through the water and ice with little difficulty.

Even with only one hand, Ronin easily kept pace with Hitsugaya's swordsmanship, expertly avoiding his attacks and effortlessly counterattacking.

Despite his opponent's skill, or perhaps because of it, Hitsugaya's body attacked just as effortlessly and blocked and parried with just as much skill.

However, this hidden skill had a major drawback; with every step his body took, Hitsugaya felt it use more of his reiryoku than he thought that he had, and each motion took more energy than he had ever used before.

Too soon, Hitsugaya felt himself fall towards the ground, reiryoku drained, falling under another powerful swipe of sharp white claws.

'_Great'_ he thought to himself as he hit the dirt painfully, _'I gain control of my body again only to be unable to move due to exhaustion, just…my…luck'_

'_I'm sorry, fledgling,'_ Hyōrinmaru's deep voice echoed within his head, _'I couldn't do it.'_

As blackness engulfed his vision Hitsugaya saw a flash and then the white of a haori. His last thought before losing consciousness was _'…Aizen-taicho?'_

* * *

Aizen glanced down at the body of the young academy student, sparing little thought for the Vasto Lorde standing before him.

"It is as I thought," he murmured to himself, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. A sickly wet sound caused him to glance up as Ronin massaged his newly regenerated arm, flexing the dark-skinned fingers tipped with the white nails that would soon grow back into the armoured claws that he was well known for.

"When I asked you to test him I didn't think you would come yourself," Aizen said calmly, staring into the glowing eyes hidden behind the helmet-like mask.

The sharp teeth of the mask twisted into a frightening grin. "I needed to see if you were right, Aizen-san; I was testing you." Somehow that melodic voice was far creepier than anything Aizen had heard before, even worse than the sound of his former captain's singing in the shower.

"And did I pass?" Aizen asked, suppressing a shudder at the thought of that particular incident.

"Indeed Aizen-san, you passed. I will contact you again when it is convenient and we shall discuss the terms of our agreement."

With that the sky cracked open, revealing the Hollow realm of Hueco Mundo, and the small Vasto Lorde disappeared.

Glancing back at the small prodigy, and then to his unconscious third seat, Aizen summoned a Hell Butterfly, calling for a support squad from the Fourth Division to come and help the fallen Shinigami.

"Hmm, it all comes together now. Well met, Hitsugaya Toshiro. I look forward to seeing your rise and the surprises it will bring. You will be well worth the wait, I can assure you."

There, done, that was difficult, something seems off so I'd appreciate some feedback on how to improve this fic.

As I mentioned in my other fic 'When the fukutaicho is away' each division is going to have a specialisation and I'd like suggestions for division specialities for 'Upon the Wings of the Guardian'. I already have ideas for the 2nd, 4th, 10th, 11th, and 12th divisions.

Anywho, thanks for reading my story, and thank you to those who have reviewed 'When the fukutaicho is away'. You've given me motivation to get my writing into gear.

Ja ne!

BN: Now, we've put effort into this fic. Review. D


End file.
